ARGENTINA TO HAVE 50 PESO NOTE DEDICATED TO THE FALKLANDS (TRANSLATION)

The president of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, presented a new 50 peso (approx. $US 7) banknote dedicated to the ‘Islas Malvinas’ to mark the 32nd anniversary of the war with the United Kingdom over the Atlantic Ocean archipelago, known as the Falkland Islands by the British.

The note shows the islands, as if they were part of their national territory, in the colours of the Argentine flag as well as species of animals from the territory, such as cormorants.

In a national television message, Kirchner also accused the United Kingdom of using the islands as “a NATO nuclear military base in the south Atlantic”.

Kirchner criticised the British government again for dedicating resources to military expenditure saying that “it would be good if England spent less on waging war and more on its people”.

This Wednesday marks the 32nd anniversary of the commencement of the war against the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands.

Daniel Filmus, the secretary of the Argentine government’s Falkland Islands Affairs Department, said” collective memory plays a significant role in this recognition. But at the same time we know that the greatest homage we can pay is to keep working together to achieve a resumption of sovereignty negotiations with the United Kingdom.

Territorial Dispute

A total of 649 Argentine soldiers lost their lives in the country’s most recent military conflict.

32 years ago the United Kingdom emerged victorious and reaffirmed its sovereignty over the territory.

In a 2013 referendum, 99% of the population of the Falkland Islands supported the notion that the territory continue under the British flag.

Argentina described the referendum as useless, saying that the dispute should be resolved within the framework of the United Nations.